What do you think about online pastors?

[TurtleHare]

Do you think potential pastors receive a good education through online studying?

 

[psalms 91]

If someone is called I have no problem with it

 

[Ruth]

It depends on the individual and what training they have been through either by self or university.

 

[Josiah]

Do you think potential pastors receive a good education through online studying?

I think in terms of learning STUFF - it's fine. But ministry is about PEOPLE and I think it's learned only with people. Pastors need to be more that knowledgable nerds (nothing personal toward anyone).... I think the internet could supplement things but should not be the primary approach.

 

[tango]

I think in terms of learning STUFF - it's fine. But ministry is about PEOPLE and I think it's learned only with people. Pastors need to be more that knowledgable nerds (nothing personal toward anyone).... I think the internet could supplement things but should not be the primary approach.

That's a really good point. Anyone can study the Bible and get to know it really well without any formal training at all - it's not as if it's difficult to get hold of a Bible and a bunch of study notes. The bit that makes ministry more demanding is the whole issue of interacting with people. As my former pastor once said, when you're a minister you're effectively dealing with somebody's whole world and having to pick it up and put it down. One day you might be dealing with someone who just lost a parent, the next day dealing with a couple who just got engaged and are excited about their wedding day, then the next day you might have a couple who just had a miscarriage and lost a(nother) pregnancy, then you could be visiting someone in hospital, and all the while you're preparing that Sunday's sermon and fending off complaints from the people who think the music is too loud/too modern/too traditional/too quiet or that the sermons are too long/too short/too full of opinion and anecdotes/too dull/whatever.

Honestly, I believe that anyone who wants to be a pastor is probably not cut out for the job. The only exception I'd make to that is if someone wants to be a pastor in the context of wanting to follow God wherever he calls them and accepting that their calling might be into pastoral ministry.

 

[psalms 91]

In order to lead you must be a servant and many are not willing to do that

 

[Brighten04]

Do you think potential pastors receive a good education through online studying?

I don't have a problem with it. People are getting other degrees online.